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Building History

Architect John Galen Howard designed the Majestic Theatre in collaboration with the former contractor and theatre designer James M. Wood (1841-1923) , for whom the former had worked in 1887. Howard produced the building envelope design, while Wood created the interior arrangement. The Majestic was originally intended to house live productions and opened in 1903. This period of 1902-1903 was a very busy moment for Howard, as he was in the midst of relocating himself from New York, NY, to Berkeley, CA, where he would begin working at the University of California, Berkeley, as both a supervising campus architect and director of the department of architecture.

By the 1920s, the Majestic accommodated many vaudeville programs. In the 1950s, the venue was converted to exhibit motion pictures exclusively. Over the years, traces of Howard's Beaux-Arts Classicism were removed or obscured.

The Sacks Theatre chain operated the venue until 1983, changing its name to the Saxon Theatre, early on.

Nearby Emerson College purchased the building in the 1980s for re-use as the campus performing arts center. It had renovated the venue by 1989, restoring its original Beaux-Arts decor.

The Majestic seated 976 when it opened in 1903.

PCAD id: 801